Wednesday, July 4, 2012

RECOVERY *long post*

Six days ago in the wee hours of the morning I called 911 to report that my husband, Anthony, was in desperate pain on the living room floor. An ambulance came to whisk him away, and I woke our three girls to meet him at the nearest hospital almost 20 miles away. After many hours in the emergency room, he was brought to the operating room where he had emergency surgery for a severely ruptured appendix. He has been in the hospital ever since, but he is on the mend.

We visit for several hours every day and try to brighten up his room with our presence and some special love from home ... freshly picked flowers, cards, and nourishing food (now that he can eat).

Sylvia is now in Minnesota with my parents for a week (they do this every summer) and having a great time. So, it's just three of us around here when we aren't hanging out in Papa's hospital room.

It's a struggle. There's oodles to worry about. I miss Tony and Sylvia. I hate to see my husband in pain, and bored, and restless (he's a hard worker when he's able, and lying around 'taking it easy' is not his idea of a good time anyway).

BUT, I am so grateful that he is ALIVE, and healing, and that we have supportive friends and family even if they are not nearby. I am grateful for this gorgeous land that we live on, and my very helpful, loving, sweet girls.

I am grateful that I can provide a semblance of normalcy for my girls while Tony convalesces and is cared for at the hospital. And Camille even got to have a friend sleep over. (It was a little too quiet around here...)

On our way to the beach with Camille's sleepover friend, we had to stop for these sandhill cranes who ever so slowly got out of the road for us.

Their late night sleepover activity? Sewing dresses out of old bedsheets :)

Camille checking the height of the corn in a nearby field

The community theatre is gearing up for their Music Man Jr. performances in just over a week, and Camille has only had to miss one rehearsal recently.

Our days can feel very long....BUT watering the front garden and trees by dusky moonlight with a two-year-old and firelflies flashing all around is an experience well worth a long hot day.

Oh yes, and we even went to a parade this 4th of July morning because Camille and the rest of the cast were walking in it and singing songs from The Music Man.

It was hot. And fun. And oh so patriotic. Ayla even gave congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (dem-WI, running for senate) a high-five, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get a pic of that :)

Camille and Ayla have been doing a fab job helping take care of the laying hens, the puppy, and the month-old chicks. Oh, I love these girls.

We're getting more than a dozen eggs a day lately.

*photos by Camille

Our specialty-breed chicks are really feathering out and each one has such personality. I know Anthony will love to see them when he comes home (tomorrow, I hope, I hope, I hope...)

Camille even tried to help out with taming our wild yard. She used the push mower a bit and helped me get the riding mower running, but we gave up. It's low on our priorities, and too darn hot.

So, yeah, life is up in the air, turned on it's head, and hurting. We are living it still, and finding peace where we can. I want my hubs back home, but more importantly, I want him to heal, to feel well, and to ease back into the rest of life peacefully until he regains his strength.

For tonight, fried egg sandwiches, another visit to see Papa, followed by a stop at the park to watch the fireworks. One moment at a time....

*I couldn't resist adding a few photos to this already long and meandering blog post :)

9 comments:

What a tough experience to go through - I am so, so glad he's on the mend. And you have been so strong for your crew. They're so lucky to have such an awesome mama. Hope you are hanging in there through it all, I imagine it's a lot. Get well wishes to Papa and hope he is able to come home soon!! *hugs*

Oh man - you scared the poo out of me!!! Glad your hubs is recovering and he is a lucky man to have such lovely ladies looking after him so well. LOVE LOVE LOVE your last photo (it's not how I picture you!).

About Me

I am Nikole, mama to three lovely and lively kiddos. Cam is 14 years old, Sylvi is 11, and Ayla is 8. This blog is generally a chronicle of our country-living, respectful-parenting, joy-seeking, radical-unschooling life. It is a swirl of fun, learning, and creativity, all in a ragamuffin style ;-)